In the construction industry, it is necessary to make accurate layout lines in locating structures, such as walls, to be erected. Typically, opposite ends of a chalk line device are held by two workers to locate the chalk line, and the chalk line is then snapped to mark the layout line on a surface. In some instances, a single worker ties one end of the chalk line to a nail driven into a floor at a selected location and holds the other end of the chalk line before snapping the layout line in place. In this procedure, the worker must first locate the proper position for the nail and must remove the nail after the line has been formed. Under present practices, either two workers are required to locate layout lines; or, in the instance of a single worker, nails must be driven and then removed, which results in a layout procedure that is slow and time-consuming.
There are certain prior art layouts which are used to snap various types of chalk lines, such as marking the location of walls and the like. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,271,470 discloses an early chalk line device for use in the layout of certain structures to be built. U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,108 discloses a layout tool for making vertical layout lines.